OPCW Technical Secretariat involved in Kiev’s chemical provocation against Russia — Moscow – Russian politics and diplomacy

MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. The Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is involved in the Kiev government’s claims about alleged use of riot control agents (RCAs) by Russian forces in the Special Military Operations zone, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Business in a statement. .

“Unfortunately, this time, the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was once again involved in these underhanded acts involving highly questionable evidence gathering practices that undermine the fundamental principles of evidence preservation (the chain of custody).” the ministry said.

The ministry emphasized that the OPCW report, published by the Technical Secretariat, does not contain any information about where, when and under what circumstances the OPCW experts obtained the evidence supporting its allegations. Russian radiation, chemical and biological protection experts will carefully review the report, the statement said.

“The Russian Federation, as a founding state of the CWC, responsibly fulfills its obligations under this international treaty. Russia will continue to closely monitor all cases of the use of toxic chemicals and RCAs by the Kiev regime’s armed forces and duly inform the OPCW. Technical Secretariat and the States Parties to the Convention,” Russian diplomats added.

The ministry further said that Russia deliberately refrained from requesting technical assistance from the OPCW Technical Secretariat in confirming the use of toxic chemicals and RCAs by the Kiev regime. This decision was made in order not to endanger the lives and health of international experts, because the Kiev regime does not make exceptions for civilians when it comes to launching all kinds of attacks.

Earlier, OPCW experts said they had detected traces of chlorobenzalmalononitrile, also known as CS gas, in samples collected from somewhere on the front line in Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk region. GS gas irritates the eyes and respiratory tract, but is generally accepted as non-lethal. Although the substance is used as a riot control agent, its use in warfare is prohibited by the 1925 Geneva Protocol.

The OPCW report will be reviewed at the 29th session of the Conference of States Parties, which will take place in The Hague on 25-29 November 2024.